Head line

LONDON — The United States and Britain on Sunday acknowledged the Western world’s weak support for any military action against Syria’s government as they sought ways to pressure President Bashar Assad and his chief backer, Russia, to halt a deadly offensive in Aleppo. They tried to present it as a …

KHAZER, Iraq — Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led airstrikes launched co-ordinated military operations early Monday as the long-awaited fight to wrest the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State fighters got underway. But the battle is likely to be long and it was unclear when the troops would …

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump keeps peddling the notion the vote may be rigged. It’s not clear if he does not understand the potential damage of his words — or he simply does not care. Trump’s claim — made without evidence — undercuts the essence of American democracy, the idea that …

HONG KONG – A swearing-in ceremony to kick off Hong Kong’s legislative session descended into farce Wednesday as newly elected pro-democracy lawmakers intentionally mangled their oaths in a show of defiance against Beijing. They displayed flags declaring that Hong Kong is not a part of China and called out for …

GENEVA — U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump would be “dangerous from an international point of view” if he is elected, the UN human rights chief said Wednesday. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein says some comments by the Republican nominee are “deeply unsettling and disturbing to me,” particularly on torture and about “vulnerable …

KABUL – For the past month, the Taliban have held control over most of Afghanistan’s Helmand province, where the majority of the world’s opium is grown – and as insurgent attacks intensify around the provincial capital, residents are blaming rampant government corruption for the rising militant threat. At an international …

INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Pence has long described himself as a “Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order.” Now, the GOP vice-presidential nominee and his priorities are facing a critical test as Donald Trump, staggered by his recorded vulgarities about women, careens toward Sunday’s presidential debate against Democrat Hillary …

SANAA, Yemen — A Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a funeral hall packed with thousands of mourners in Yemen’s capital Saturday, killing over 140 people and wounding more than 525 in one of the deadliest single attacks of the country’s civil war, a U.N. official said. Saudi Arabia announced early Sunday …

MOSCOW — A top Russian diplomat is lashing out at the United States because of claims that Russia is hacking political websites and email accounts in an attempt to influence the American elections. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in a statement Saturday that Washington’s accusations are an attempt to …

TOKYO – A Japanese court has ruled that Okinawa Gov. Takeshi Onaga’s revocation of a reclamation permit for a U.S. military base on the southern island was illegal, supporting the central government plan to go ahead with the reclamation despite protests by local residents. Friday’s decision is the latest development …